(Pictured: BESarawak team members with board of directors)
Business Events Sarawak by Sarawak Convention Bureau announced that Sarawak has made history in the business events industry by securing its highest bid wins to date at the annual BESarawak Appreciation Dinner.
Sarawak’s business events industry has secured the highest number of business events in a single year and is estimated to anchor more than RM90 million in direct delegate expenditure manifested from the spending of flights, accommodation, meals and entertainment.
Asides from assessing the economic value to Sarawak, the secured collective of meetings, incentives, conventions and exhibitions (MICE) were assessed under the legacy impact assessment which pointed 965 potential impacts for Sarawak. The assessment matches the event’s theme and topic components against the seven key focus areas of urban development/redevelopment, social, environmental, agricultural and industry development (including Sarawak Corridor of Renewable Energy) plus service industry and digital economy.
“By the end of 2019, we are expecting to rake in 76 events and over RM90 million in direct delegate expenditure alone,” says BESarawak Chairman Muhammad Leo Toyad. “This indicates the actual strength of business events on our economy and going forward, we are confident that the figures will increase exponentially.”
In addition to celebrating the triumphant wins and scoring, BESarawak has also announced that the figures associated with the bid wins such as delegate attendance, days and expenditure has surpassed the bureau’s expectation and target. According to the survey, 72.4 percent of delegates extended their stay post-convention with a satisfaction scoring of 98.4 percent.
“Besides the leisure factors of a destination, meeting planners place a high value on knowledge capital,” says Anedia Kahar, head of business development and research. “Sarawak has provided their meetings and conventions with intangible values that are appealing to delegates from all continents and backgrounds.”
There’s another factor that is not to be ignored, according to BESarawak’s chief operating officer, Amelia Roziman.
“This industry is one of the most effective platforms to drive social and economic transformations,” say says. “We want all business events to be community-conscious that instigates maximum impact. The legacy impact program will bring this message home.”
The program is made to empower every meeting and convention in Sarawak to drive socio-economic impacts under its four pillars of advancing the field, community benefits, economic outcomes and public policy.
Another huge milestone is by BESarawak’s education arm, TriBE: INNOVATION, with its MACEOS-endorsed masterclass for the industry. Finally, outlining marketing efforts, the bureau won two awards: the BrandLaureate Award for Nation Branding-MICE; and the Chief Minister’s Industry Excellence Award, earning the Sarawak Business Federation’s Recognition Award.
Business Events Sarawak (BESarawak) by Sarawak Convention Bureau was established in 2006 by the State Government of Sarawak. It’s a non-profit company whose aim is to bring Sarawak to the forefront as a competitive destination for international meetings. BESarawak is a member of the International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA), Union of International Associations (UIA) and Professional Convention Management Association (PCMA). Its goal is to help connect NGOs, corporations and government bodies with whatever necessary to make international conventions a success in Sarawak. For more info, visit www.businesseventssarawak.com
